Darling Girls followed 3 foster sisters, Jessica, Norah (“with an h” 😉), and Alicia who live with Miss Fairchild at Wild Meadows. The girls have anything but a good start in life. Fast forward to 25 years later and we get an update on where they are and how they are coping. They are still very much looking out for each other. Things take a turn when there is a call from the police detective informing the girls that a body has been found buried underneath their old house. Are the girls witnesses or suspects??
.
We hear a voice from all three sisters, which I really enjoyed. I was happy with how things wrapped up. I’m not a big fan of books with some sort of child abuse, so I was treading lightly with this one. But it was hooked right from the start and never let go! I ate.this.one.up. 🔥
.
The narrator had an Australian accent and spoke quickly so there was no speeding it up. But Jessica Clark delivered a solid read. I would enjoy listening to another read by her.
.
Darling Girls reads very quickly. Highly recommend for thriller lovers!

"Darling Girls" by Sally Hepworth is about three young girls in the Australian foster care system. Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are all put in the care of Miss Fairchild. This placement seems like a "lucky break" to their social workers, who only see a beautiful house and a sweet foster mom. The adults are very wrong; Miss Fairchild is a master manipulator. The girls form a powerful bond while helping each other through their time at Miss Fairchild's. When they finally escape, they vow never to go back. But years later, when the police find a body buried on the property, the girls have no choice but to go back and revisit old memories that they wanted to leave far behind them.

This storyline was incredibly interesting. I enjoyed the pacing of the plot and the multiple POVs. The characters were well-developed, and even though they weren't very likable, I still cared about them - which isn't always easy for an author to accomplish. Hepworth was able to put us deep in these characters' heads, which I appreciate. This was an excellent psychological thriller, and it kept me guessing! I may have figured out one twist, but I was surprised by many more that I didn't see coming. If you enjoy books by authors like Gillian Flynn or Paula Hawkins, I think you'll find "Darling Girls" to be a compelling read. Sally Hepworth is definitely an auto-buy author for me after this one!

The narration was excellent; I had no trouble following changes in POV. Jessica Clarke really brought the story and characters to life. I will be looking for other audiobooks by this narrator!

Tropes: found family, sister bonds, buried secrets, multiple POVs, dual timelines.
Trigger Warnings: child abuse, foster care abuse, addiction.

4.5/5
Sally Hepworth has done it again! I've yet to read anything by this woman that I did not devour and Darling Girls is no exception. The novel follows three foster sisters, now adults, who return to the town they lived in with their abusive foster mother when bones are found beneath the house they escaped from as children. The story seamlessly flows between the perspective of each sister, flashes back to their childhood memories, and explores the complicated, terrifying relationship they had with their foster mother, as well as the bond of sisterly love that develops between them. This book will tug at your heart strings, make you incensed, and desperate to stay up all night to finish. Hepworth is a master at creating raw, flawed characters that are so real and relatable, you feel like you know them. This is everything you want in a mystery thriller.

Jessica, Norah and Alicia have been raised in a foster home by Miss Fairchild. On the outside, it looks like they are so lucky. They live in a nice home on a farming estate. But, all is not as tranquil as it seems!

These three sisters have grown up now and have their own lives. They have stayed very close. So, when the cops find a dead body on their foster home estate, these three circle the wagons and become very tight lipped and protective.

All three of these young women have issues from their time in foster care. And it all goes back to Miss Fairchild and her unpredictability and her insane behavior.

I have only read a couple of books by this author and they have been 3-4 star reads for me. BUT YALL! This book is so good! I could not stop listening to it. You just knew something creepy and evil went on, you just couldn’t quite put your finger on what. You think you know…but do you???

The narrator, Jessica Clarke, nailed it! I love a narrator that is strong and steady!

Need a good thriller which will have you guessing till the end…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

A psychological mystery that has it all!! It reminds me of gone girl but is way more entertaining and keeps ahold of your attention! Darling girls is another winner for Sally!!! She is a master of suspense !

DARLING GIRLS - SALLY HEPWORTH

4.5⭐

PLOT
Jessica, Norah & Alicia were rescued as young girls and Ms Fairchild raised them foster kids on her farming estate. But it wasn't a fairy tale everyone thinks their life was.
Now a body is discovered under the home they grew up in and these three sisters are under spotlight as key witness or even prime suspects?

MY THOUGHTS -
This book will keep you hooked from page 1 and guarantee you will binge read it. The best part it was told in alternative Pov and timelines. The final twist was something which I didn't see coming but what I liked the best was that each character had a perfect resolution this making it very satisfying !!
Would definitely recommend audiobook for this one it was so well done!

It has been twenty-five years since Jessica, Norah, and Alicia left Port Agatha and Wild Meadows. the farming estate that had been their home where they lived under the care of their cruel and manipulative foster mother, Miss Fairchild. Their memories of those years are far from happy ones and though they are no longer the scared teenagers they were when they reported Miss Fairchild to the authorities all those years ago, their experiences have left an indelible imprint on their lives. But they had each other and together, they endured and survived their ordeal. Though not related by blood, they consider themselves sisters, and their love and unwavering support for one another has only grown stronger over the years. When a body is discovered under the farmhouse, the ensuing investigation draws the sisters back to Port Agatha, where they are forced to revisit their past and the memories that have haunted them.

I thoroughly enjoyed Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth. The narrative is shared from the perspectives of the three main characters with segments from sessions between a character, whose identity is revealed later on in the story, and a psychiatrist interspersed throughout the narrative. The author does a commendable job of depicting the flaws of the foster care system and the long-lasting effects of childhood trauma. I really liked how the author defines the three main characters and their distinctive personalities – strong women who have survived, complex and flawed yet vulnerable, each battling their own demons. The author deftly weaves between past and present timelines into a consistently paced ( a tad on the slower side), suspenseful narrative with convincing characters (even the unlikable ones) and enough twists and turns that keep you turning the pages till you reach the final revelation, which did surprise me ( I always love that!).

I paired my reading with the audiobook and I have to say that I loved Jessica Clarke’s narration and thought she did a remarkable job of breathing life into this story and the characters.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press for the digital review copy via NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the ALC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book had a slow start but WOW did it hook me. It pulled me in & I sped through it desperate to know how it ended. And the very end made my jaw drop!

I would recommend checking out the trigger warnings because it does deal with some dark topics.

I was excited to receive this title but it wasn't as mystery/thriller as I would have liked, just a lot of family drama.

I finally read a Sally Hepworth book! I can't believe I waited this long. I truly enjoyed her writing style and captivating narrative. In this book three foster sisters are forced to relive their traumatic childhood at a foster home, when years later the police finds human remains at the home's site.

This book had all the elements of the perfect psychological thriller. Girls with a broken childhood and a rough adulthood, manipulative foster mother, decades-old haunting mystery. I loved multiple POVs with dual timelines. They were seamlessly executed and the shocking ending really came together.

The amazing thing about the three main characters, the sisters, was that despite the terrible situation the girls were in, they grew up to be loving, compassionate and loyal. Yes, they carried some trauma with them as adults, but they were so strong because they had each other. It gave me comfort knowing that the sisters were working on their healthy future. I knew they would be ok.

The story was propulsive and unpredictable. The ending carried a shocking twist. It was such a bingeable read! Audiobook was very well narrated - highly recommend. I am really looking forward to adding more books by this author to my tbr.

I originally read the eARC of Darling Girls in September and was thrilled to do a reread in April when I was sent an ALC! Thank you St Martins Press and Macmillan Audio!

It is difficult to read a book by Darling Girls and gush about it, considering the sensitivity of the subject matter. However, gush I will, as this story blew me away.

Three girls, Jessica, Norah and Alicia, with completely different backgrounds all end up in the same foster home with Miss Fairchild. At first seeming idyllic and lovely, Fairchild’s true despicable nature seems to worsen and reveal sooner with the arrival of each additional child. As adults, Jessica Norah and Alicia are thankfully still family, but are called back to their former home when skeletal remains are found…

The story is told between past and present timelines of the three girls, and a fourth character who is a mystery for the majority of the story. These characters all feel so distinct, layered, and deeply flawed. They are also dealing with unfathomable trauma. Somehow in all of this, there is a strong undercurrent of hope with splashes of much needed humor. I loved it.

The narration of the audiobook was so well done. Jessica Clarke perfectly captured the full range of characters which is no small feat! With short chapters and gripping storytelling, Darling Girls shines in a way only Hepworth is able to deliver! This dark, twisty mystery will both enthrall readers and break their hearts.

HAPPY PUB DAY to 𝓓𝓪𝓻𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓖𝓲𝓻𝓵𝓼 by @sallyhepworth! This one is my favorite SH book to date! She is definitely an auto-buy author for me.

Three foster girls all grown up and called back to the town where they grew up to answer questions in a murder investigation. Bones were found buried on the grounds of their old foster home, and everyone involved is a suspect. With dual timelines and three POVs, it gives you a chance to get to know each of the girls and care for them all. They’ve all got secrets that they’ve tried to keep hidden which makes for a good twisty novel. I loved the bond the girls formed as kids. It was tough to read at times, but I also couldn’t stop reading. Loved that I didn’t see the ending coming!

Be sure to add this to your list! If you already love Sally, you’ll love this one. It’s darker than her other books but so binge-worthy! If you haven’t ready any of her books, I’m coming at you!

I really enjoyed this book and read it over a couple days. I liked the three points of view. The author spend a lot of time showing you their childhood , growing up together, and getting to know the dynamics. There were a lot of twists and it kept me guessing. A great read and would recommend .

I enjoyed the audiobook tremendously! Narrator Jessica Clarke really brings the story and characters to life!
I did love the format of now and then chapters and having all three characters' points of view. I felt like we learned a lot about Jessica, Norah and Alicia through their younger years. They have a lot to be upset about but they stuck together no matter what they went through and that carries into their adult lives. At times some of the now was hard to follow, or understand to begin with; some of the character quirks until we got to know a lot more about the characters.
Sally Hepworth writes a gripping, suspenseful tale that will keep you guessing to the end! It is the first book I've read from the author. I had a hard time putting it down. I kept predicting small pieces along the way, but not enough to put the whole picture together! The ending was a real jaw-dropper that I didn't see coming.
I highly recommend reading this book, as the twists and turns were plentiful!! I read this book late into the night, and the ending was well worth it!!
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an early listen to the audiobook.

This is a dual timeline, multiple POV story about three foster sisters, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia. We see each of them get placed at the seemingly idyllic foster home of Miss Fairchild in the past, but the girls are not necessarily as lucky as people keep telling them. In the present, the home has been sold, and, while it was being demolished, bones were discovered. Now the sisters must go back to the town they left behind and remember all that happened there and answer for it.

I feel like Sally Hepworth has almost created an entirely new genre of family drama mystery. I’m not saying no one else writes them, but the author really has mastered this very specific niche. I loved seeing the way the sisters took care of each other even though they were so different. I also really enjoyed how each sister was fleshed out and how I was able to sympathize with all of them. As the mystery unfolds, there were lots of little twists along the way. Some I guessed, but some came as a complete surprise, and the ending of this story is definitely haunting whether you see it coming or not. One of my favorite aspects of the book was the way the author played with the concept of being lucky and kind of turned it on its head.

Even though there were multiple POVs, there was only one audiobook narrator, but she did such a great job that I had to double check that there weren’t more. I loved listening to this one and would definitely recommend the audio format.

Darling Girls is the latest domestic thriller by best-selling author Sally Hepworth. In this story, she trains her lens on the complicated issues of love, trust, sisters, and parenthood, all framed by the fraught foster system.
This is the tale of three young girls who are placed, one by one, into the Wild Meadows Farm, home of Miss Holly Fairchild, a seemingly lovely lady who affectionately refers to them as “darling girls.” But all is not what it seems, and the girls find that forming their “sisterhood” is the key to surviving the mood swings and ensuing maliciousness of their foster mother.
The story evolves into a compelling look at the many faces of love, partnerships, and mothering. Told in two timelines, and from the POVs of sisters Jessica, Norah and Alicia, it illustrates, with wise and witty prose, the lifetime effects that damaged adult carers can have on children and how those children then function as adults. In her signature style, Hepworth deftly weaves these themes with a bit of criminal activity tossed in, making this a mystery investigation, also.
The main characters are well-drawn, with humor and pathos, in a compelling narrative that is hard to stop listening!
This is a smart, thoroughly enjoyable domestic thriller by the masterful storyteller Sally Hepworth. I recommend it to readers who enjoy fresh contemporary writing with depth and heart.
I enjoyed the audiobook tremendously! Narrator Jessica Clarke really brings the story and characters to life!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an early listen to the audiobook. This is my honest review.

I absolutely LOVE Sally Hepworth’s newest psychological thriller. Bones are found under the former foster home of three sisters and they are forced to go back to be interviewed and figure out who it is and what happened. Sally Hepworth writes amazing characters with such deep and twisty stories. I think this is my new favorite of hers. I loved the way the sisters stuck together and always had each others backs. I loved how Ms. Fairchild’s story progressed and how we figure out the truth at the end. It was devious! Loved it all and would highly recommend. The narrator did a fantastic job voicing all of the characters with different inflections for each one. I feel like she really got it in terms of the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my ALC of this story.

Darling Girls
By: Sally Hepworth
Narrated by: Jessica Clarke
Macmillan Audio
Mystery & Thrillers, Women's Fiction
Pub Date: April 23, 2024

Darling Girls is a powerful dual timeline thriller, set in Australia, about three foster sisters' traumatic childhood experiences with their foster mother, Miss Fairchild. The story also weaves in the lives of Jessica, Norah, and Alicia as adults when something mysterious is found at the location of their childhood home. Hepworth writes boldly to deliver a narrative that quickly draws in her readers and never slows down the mystery and suspense.
Clarke's narration is superb and on point with the book's tone, events, and characters.

Hepworth thoughtfully put in background research prior to writing the book, and describes it in her acknowledgements. Whether a fan of Hepworth or new to her writing, lovers of good thrillers will want to strongly consider this book.

I received a gifted advance listener's copy from Net Galley and Macmillan Audio. My review is my own.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth is her darkest novel to date, focusing on three foster sisters who return home to one of their past foster homes after a body is discovered on the property. For the three women, they will need to confront the past abuse, lies, and secrets they have been avoiding for years since they escaped the brutality of their foster mother.

This novel is not as light as Hepworth's past novels. Sometimes it feels like Hepworth's novels are light thrillers, focusing on family drama and dynamics while the main character works through a rather difficult dilemma, but this novel is a more traditional thriller with very dark elements.

Each character is well fleshed out with their own personality quirks, thought patterns, and ways they have found to cope with their trauma. There is also great LGBTQ representation! The novel talks about childhood abuse of all kinds however, something readers should be made aware of prior to starting the novel. There are also multiple points of view where some of the chapters take the form of psychologist interviews with their patient, others take place in the past, and the rest in the present, but never did I feel confused about what timeline I was in.

I read through this novel very fast, it was very addictive but this novel is not for everyone. For those who have read Hepworth's work before, this one is very different from her previous novels so trigger warnings should be looked up.

This one was really slow to start. I thought it wrapped up well, but overall it wasn't that thrilling. I thought the characters were mostly well thought-out and I enjoyed watching their lives play out but the stakes just didn't seem that high to me either. It seemed pretty clear who the killer was, regardless of how we got there.